Comments on: Koestler: The thirteenth tribe http://www.bethamisr.org/library/2009/03/03/koestler/ @ Congregation Beth Ami Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:52:48 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Kevin Brook http://www.bethamisr.org/library/2009/03/03/koestler/comment-page-1/#comment-1275 Kevin Brook Wed, 14 Oct 2009 03:56:59 +0000 http://www.bethamisr.org/library/?p=680#comment-1275 "The Jews of Khazaria, Second Edition" (2006) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0742549828/ref=nosim/congbethamili-20 is a more up-to-date and accurate account of the Khazar Empire. It disproves the contentions of Koestler and Sand that the majority of Ashkenazic ancestry comes from the Khazars, but does show that traces of the Khazars exist. An essential purchase for all Jewish libraries, since the books by Koestler and Dunlop are outdated and inadequate. “The Jews of Khazaria, Second Edition” (2006) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0742549828/ref=nosim/congbethamili-20 is a more up-to-date and accurate account of the Khazar Empire. It disproves the contentions of Koestler and Sand that the majority of Ashkenazic ancestry comes from the Khazars, but does show that traces of the Khazars exist. An essential purchase for all Jewish libraries, since the books by Koestler and Dunlop are outdated and inadequate.

]]> By: Leanne http://www.bethamisr.org/library/2009/03/03/koestler/comment-page-1/#comment-1098 Leanne Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:41:12 +0000 http://www.bethamisr.org/library/?p=680#comment-1098 I was just reading about Shlomo Sand and his French book prize. His book claims that not only were European Jews decended from converts, so were Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews. The decendants of Bliblical Jews all converted to Islam or Christianity and are now Arabs. The book itself won't be translated into English for a while. Aside from whether the genetic thesis is true, it assumes that Judaism is based on blood lines, which it never has been. Even though all 4 of my grandparents spoke Yiddish, there was one with straight blond hair and blue eyes, and other relatives with Mongol-horde-type features-- even in old family mythology we never thought of ourselves as purebred descendants of Judea, and it never bothered us at all. I was just reading about Shlomo Sand and his French book prize. His book claims that not only were European Jews decended from converts, so were Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews. The decendants of Bliblical Jews all converted to Islam or Christianity and are now Arabs. The book itself won’t be translated into English for a while.

Aside from whether the genetic thesis is true, it assumes that Judaism is based on blood lines, which it never has been. Even though all 4 of my grandparents spoke Yiddish, there was one with straight blond hair and blue eyes, and other relatives with Mongol-horde-type features– even in old family mythology we never thought of ourselves as purebred descendants of Judea, and it never bothered us at all.

]]>